Book Buzz: National Book Awards, Gillian Flynn to write YA novel

Here's a look at what's buzzing in the book world today:

Political e-books: If daily journalism is the first draft of history, then "instant" e-books may be draft 1.5. Within three days of the presidential election, two e-books by prominent columnists were released: Obama vs Romney: "The Take" on Election 2012 by The Washington Post's Dan Balz, and Why Romney Lost (And What the GOP Can Do About It) by The Daily Beast's David Frum. As-yet-untitled campaign books due in 2013 (to be released in print and digitally) include one by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, authors of Game Change, the news-making 2010 best seller about the 2008 campaign, and Jonathan Alter's sequel to his 2010 best seller, The Promise, on Obama's first year as president. – Bob Minzesheimer

'All In' paperback: In the midst of the David Petraeus-Paula Broadwell scandal, Penguin is moving up the paperback publication of Broadwell's biography All In: The Education of General David Petraeus to Nov. 21. It was to arrive on Dec. 24. Petraeus resigned as director of the CIA last week after his affair with Broadwell became public. Her book, written with the general's cooperation, was published in hardcover in January. It has not yet cracked USA TODAY's Top 150, but that could change with all the publicity. – Craig Wilson

Self-published author deal: Another self-published e-success has found a major publisher. Grand Central has bought digital/print rights to Jessica Sorensen's novel The Secret of Ella and Micha, No. 15 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list. Grand Central plans to publish a paperback edition soon. A Wyoming mother of three, Sorensen, 29, also has self-published eight young-adult novels. But this is her first venture into "adult contemporary" that has hit big. Ella and Micha is the tale of a college girl and a sexy hometown boy. Two more books are planned, which Grand Central will publish. Sorensen put an advisory on her new book because some of material is too racy "to be young adult," she says. – Deirdre Donahue

National Book Awards: The best of American literature was recognized Wednesday in New York City. Louise Erdrich won the fiction award for The Round House, Katherine Boo won the non-fiction award for Behind the Beautiful Forevers, William Alexander won the young people's literature prize for Goblin Secrets and David Ferry won the poetry award for Bewilderment.

Biography roundup: Want to learn about some of history's most remarkable characters? USA TODAY's Deirdre Donahue reviews four biographies of some of the most compelling and controversial figures in history: Joseph P. Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses Grant and Winston Churchill.

Tony Bennett: USA TODAY's Craig Wilson talks to singer Tony Bennett about his memoir, Life is a Gift.

Gillian Flynn novels: Fans of the best-selling thriller Gone Girl have two new books to look forward to. Gillian Flynn has announced that her next book will be an adult novel published by Crown in 2015, followed by a young adult novel published by Delacorte Press. Read the review of Gone Girl, and check out an interview with Flynn.

Scientology book: Lawrence Wright, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, has written a book about the Church of Scientology.